Men with man buns defend their long, beautiful hair

If you believe everything the internet has to say — we have collectively reached "peak man bun."

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• Man buns: a fashion trend only some of us understand invades Edmonton
• Bringer of braid? Josh Donaldson debuts his new viking-inspired hairstyle

The CBC's Falice Chin decided to to explore that statement, and recently met with three Calgary men who wear the controversial hair style.

• NAME: Brendan Hunter
• AGE: 36
• STATUS: Married with three kids
• OCCUPATION: Actor
• FAVOURITE PRODUCT: Sarah's Creations Magic Moustache Wax

How did you end up with a man bun?

"I suppose it's slightly the result of actors maybe specific to Alberta being asked often to keep a beard and longer hair for the Westerns and the period pieces that come to town. It's a lot easier to cut it if you need to than to grow it real quick for an audition."

What do you think about the hairstyle?

"I think it's somewhat practical. Long hair gets caught in your jacket, your collar, gets in your face. I understand now how much work and effort it takes to have long hair which I suppose is predominantly still a female-orientated hairstyle in Western culture."

How do you put together your man bun?

"I comb with my head facing the floor. I comb it all forward and then put it into a top ponytail with my kid's scrunchie. I have a lot of natural curls and I actually don't fold it into a bun. I leave it loose on top so it has more curl and volume than a tight bun."

How long do you plan to keep your man bun?

"I'm an actor. We're pretty much like prostitutes. You pay us the right amount of money and we'll do anything. So if tomorrow if someone wants me on set as a clean-cut, short-haired guy and there's a bunch of money, then that's what I'll do." 

• NAME: Matthew Dorsey
• AGE: 26
• STATUS: Single
• OCCUPATION: Power Engineer
• FAVOURITE PRODUCT: Conditioner

How long have you had the man bun?

"Eleven months. I went travelling to Nicaragua and I hadn't showered in about four days and the only thing to do with your greasy hair is to put it up in a bun.

When I came back to Canada, all the girls are all the rage about the man bun, so I kept on doing it. It's been very successful! Guys hate it and girls love it — I guess that's how I define success."

What if women stop loving it. Would that make you cut it off?

"Maybe once or twice a week or something like that. We'll see what happens. We're not there yet. Desperate times for desperate measures.

Do you ever get discriminated?

"Yes, especially when I started working in the oilpatch. I got nicknamed 'Man bun Matt' and stuff like that."

• NAME: Harold Gonzales
• AGE: 27
• STATUS: Dating
• OCCUPATION: Stylist/Barber
• FAVOURITE PRODUCT: Sebastian Potion 9 Wearable-Styling Treatment

Why did you go for it?

"It can be very creative. There are different versions of the man bun, different ways to put it up from super easy to super intricate. You can tell the way I feel based on the way my man bun looks that day. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll throw it up in a top knot. Today, I have a bit more backcomb in there, a little bit more volume, I have some colour in there. I'm feeling good today!"

From your experience as a hair stylist, how popular is the man bun?

"My prediction is it's just going to keep getting longer. Guys are going to be wearing longer hair — wearing it down, a little more tussled, a little bit more beachy. I can feel it already."

Does that mean we've reached peak man bun?

"I think so. Just because you're seeing it so much now... People are going to start doing something different. Although, you're going to see different versions of the man bun. I've seen a guy with a braided man bun, which was really cool."

Any grooming tips?

"Smooth your hair out. I see a lot of guys who just throw it up and they're very fast about it, but it's very frizzy. So it doesn't look put together. It has to be done right."